Chapter 7: Tales of Survival

Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I smiled. The punctures in my cheek had fully healed. The injection hole had closed up too, so I tossed the cotton swab into the bathroom's wastebasket.

As I told her not to wait for me, Terra had already left for the King's conference chamber on the castle's second floor. I pulled on my jacket and boots and took another drink of water. Terra suggested I drink a few cups before I left. We didn't have much time to converse before she left. She lived in Narshe, or had at some point. She knew about its most prolific newspaper. If she lived in the town…

Why'd I think about her like that again? Did she have some…thing for me?

With nothing more to do, I left the room and walked down the hallway, thanking the clinic staff and bidding them farewell. They signed me out, and I took a lift down to the lobby. I wondered if I'd be viewed a hero, but that thought was vanquished quickly.

I'm not the hero type, and for good reason. I'm too selfish, and I don't say that in a negative context. Far from it. Were it not for my selfishness, I'd have been dead long before the Shedairah Military Base even opened its mining facility. Survival, like independence, is innately filled with selfish, self-centered tendencies.

Why I had chosen to inform the King of Figaro about the massacre? Much of the town knows and hates me, but don't think it's entirely mutual. If I'd just gone home and crashed, the nameless attackers could've assaulted the town next. Why they hadn't done so yet was still a mystery, and Narshe was now on a defensive alert just in case. Also, Figaro got much of their materials from Shedairah. As such, the young King was on his was there to request an early shipment. I saved his life as Terra had saved mine.

The fame of heroism was never something I craved. Having been the center of highly negative, unwanted attention growing up, I appreciated anonymity, being able to move about unnoticed. Sure, it was low-key, but it gave me peace of mind.

For the second time that day, I exited the doors of the Starnisden Hospital. Only this time, I wouldn't be coming back.

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As I waited for Leonard to show up, I observed Edgar's conference room. It was a large room with double doors on the east and west sides that led out to the circular corridor. The floor was arranged like massive steps, each with its own row of desks and seats. The north end of the chamber, where a large Figaroan flag hung against the wall, was set the highest. The sections in front gradually descended level by level down to the front row, where Edgar was placing a of reel into a mechanical device on a hardwood table. He'd removed his cape and now opted for a long, dark blue dress coat.

The Staff Sergeant with the gray flattop came out from the small doorway behind Edgar. It led into an archive closet; he emerged carrying an orange file folder. He placed it on the table and sifted through the papers within.

Before I left him at the hospital, Leonard explained how he knew Staff Sergeant Rodney Hayne. They once worked together in Narshe's mines, and later for a short time at the now defunct Shedairah installation. He said the Rodney was a very casual man who always used his given name around non-military staff. Since he and Leonard became close friends, Leonard took to calling him Sarge.

Edgar's wife, Queen Charise Figaro-Vastelle, sat next to the Chancellor in the front row. An upper class woman from the wealthy nation of Vardigga (nestled in the mountains north of Jidoor), she didn't change her surname but combined it with Edgar's upon their marriage. It was her unique way of celebrating the unity between Figaroan royalty and her own lineage. Next to her were several individuals from Figaro's military, some of whom I recognized. Vonius, the Captain who led Edgar's travel party earlier that day, was one. Many from the top brass of Narshe's armed forces had come down as well.

Talking to a Figaroan officer in the next row behind was Cyan. Setzer was in the last seat in one of the central rows playing solitaire with a deck of non-weapon cards. He'd been flying about when Edgar radioed him, and he landed the Falcon at the shipping and refueling pad near the castle. A few seats away from him were Locke and Celes. I could hear a few exchanges from their conversation. Locke kept fidgeting around, a sign he was on edge.

"I knew it," Locke growled, "I knew supplying Albrook was a bad idea."

"Don't jump to conclusions yet." Celes tried putting him at ease. "We don't know what transpired up there. We should let Terra's new friend tell his story before assuming anything." I realized, I hadn't told anyone else Leonard's name.

"Until we can see it as a mere coincidence, we should cautiously treat it otherwise." Locke eyed the mahogany desktop and frowned. I didn't like the prospect, but I couldn't ignore the distinct possibility that Edgar's charitable, giving nature had brought death sentences to some of his people. Narshe was its own city-state, but it still resided within The Figaroan Monarchy.

Behind the couple was Cid. He now lived in Figaro's northwestern district and was involved in science studies. He'd overseen some of Leonard's medical treatment. The poison had been sent to him for analysis.

Gau sat behind Cyan, with Relm leaning upon his shoulder. Word had gotten around, that the man I'd saved had a story to tell. After all we Returners had been through together, it seemed wrong to tell the youngest pair to sit out. Besides, they weren't so young any more. Gau had even learned a few basics of military combat from Cyan and Sabin.

Relm bluntly commented on someone's absence. "As I figured, he's not here, fucking cold prick. But it makes sense, knowing how dad is."

The remark about Shadow caught Cyan's attention. The General abruptly spun to face Relm with a dirty look. "Lady Relm. How dare you speak in such a manner. Sir Clyde is a man of courage and friendship. Respect him as you respect me. That is not how you should speak of your own father." Cyan first fought alongside Shadow on the phantom train shortly after Doma's fall, and instantly came to respect the ninja's fighting spirit.

"No, it's not," she replied. Cyan relaxed, frowned again once she added, "It's not harsh enough. Plus, he hasn't been acting like my father, so I refuse to respect him as such."

"Grudges can blind thee." Cyan tried reasoning with her. She was young but quite intelligent, an inevitable result of being a Returner her age. "Remember, he fled so you could live in safety. And never forget that while we traveled together, you learned many arts of the ninja from him."

Relm didn't waver in her disgust. "He doesn't have that excuse anymore. And he never taught me anything intentionally. I just watched him and picked up on the techniques."

Cyan shook his head and went back his chat with the officer. It was expected that Shadow would be absent. As he was secretive with his activities and whereabouts, we had no means of contacting him. We only saw him on rare occasions, like Strago's wake, Edgar's radio gear expo, the Returners' Victory Feast, and that was it. Interceptor was now living with Relm. Shadow's current location was anyone's guess. Maybe he felt unwelcome around his own daughter. Her prejudice attitude would certainly play a big role in that.

I noted some other absences. If information on Shadow's post-Kefka activities was scarce, info in Gogo's was non-existent. He/she….it had vanished from the Faclon's deck sometime after Setzer flew out of the tower, and that was it. The absences of Mog and Umaro were easily explained though. Narshe was on elevated defense. The moogles and yeti were aiding those efforts.

Edgar finished preparing the device and went into the filing room. A deep voice sounded behind me. "Hi Terra. So the man's up an' at 'em, I hear." I turned to face the speaker.

"Oh, hey Sabin." I greeted him as he took the seat next to mine. "That's right. And has he got a story to tell, though maybe you've heard the news already."

"Yeah. Locke and Celes came by the dojo earlier this afternoon and told me about your pal's wandering and catching my brother en route to some Narshean mining place. It was attacked, and your bud was the lone survivor."

I nodded. "Indeed, and his name's Leonard. I'm sure he'll introduce himself when the inquiry begins, once he arrives.

Sabin looked towards the front of the room. "That's right about now."

Edgar reappeared with two padded folding chairs. He set them up, one at each end of the table. He whispered something to Rodney, who closed the folder and placed it next to the equipment before taking a front row seat. Then, through the storage room doorway walked a revitalized Leonard. He took a seat with Edgar at the table up front.

Edgar clapped his hands, and the chatter within the large room quickly ceased. He cleared his throat and spoke into some kind of wireless microphone device on the table. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," Edgar began in his tone reserved for business. "I've called you here because we've a situation on out hands that, until today, remained completely secret. Several days ago, both the Shedairah Mining Facility and military complex were attacked by some unknown group. The young man here to my right," he pointed across the table to Leonard "claims to be the sole survivor of that attack."

A flurry of muffled chatter filled the chamber, dying down as Edgar spoke again. "Let us begin", he said, pressing a switch on the device. Its reel started turning, ready to record Leonard's every word. "For the record, verify your name and affiliation." Edgar slid the wireless mic between them.

"I'm Leonard Gurosawn of the Shedairah Mining Field Workers' Guild, serial number 425-91-8195." Edgar nodded, prompting Leonard to go on. "On that early afternoon, I was in isolation performing the cleaning tasks of RW, or restroom watch, in the barracks at the demand of the base's commanding officer, Major…Bozwensc." According to the story, Leonard was working for some time when the lights went out, believing this to be some training drill and not questioning it. Even when there came a few tremors, he presumed they were just a few minor earthquakes, especially given the absence of hazard lights and alarms. Of course, knowing how his tale ended, these were anything but drills and natural occurrences.

About ten minutes later, the quakes escalated in their intensity, and he could hear shouting out in the hallway. At that point he was about to leave, but a huge explosion from the hall threw him to the floor, where he lay dazed for an undetermined amount of time.

By this time Leonard knew something was up, though thoughts of an attack hadn't yet crossed his mind. The door to the hallway was pinned shut by something beyond, where fires rages and sprinklers failed. Fortunately, a ventilation duct in the wall allowed him escape. He descended into a room with some piston machines used for crushing raw materials. A fire was burning in the next room over and many of the pistons around him had exploded. He still thought, or maybe hoped, that it was all some huge accident.

However, those hopes were extinguished moments later when he found the gutted corpse of an armed soldier. Now it was clear; this was intentional.

Edgar squinted, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "Did you have any idea who was behind it?"

Leonard took a deep breath before answering. "I wasn't even sure if 'who' was applicable. It looked like a beast had killed him, judging from the size of that wound. The next room I came upon was a large chamber used for processing metals. There was even more evidence of a battle in there. Sections of catwalk had fallen, crushing a few who stood below. Dead soldiers had been stripped of their weapons by mining workers, who must have shot each other in a panic."

A few mumbles came from the audience as he went on. He found something else splattered about the room, a shiny fluid of darkened yellow. He presumed it was blood from some creature that came into the mines from the uncharted cavern depths below. Yet there were no dead animals in sight, as if they were later hauled away. This evidence was, yet also wasn't consistent with a monster attack.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. I'd wondered if such a thing would happen to one of Edgar's assets, on the very day I read the article covering the Foraziale incident. I even specifically asked about Shedairah. Edgar confidently said that its personnel were the finest. But this…force that brought down Shedairah was even finer than the best of Narshe. If Locke was right about the monster attack evidence in Foraziale being staged, intentionally planted as a distraction…

Maybe the extremist gangs from the southern continent were capable of overseas missions. Nothing Leonard said was proof of a monster attack.

The story proceeded. The next part of Leonard's escape involved him dangling from an overhead pipe, crossing it with hand-over-hand motions to compensate for a broken bridge. Once in the base, he tried using an undamaged radio, but never got a clear signal. As I expected, the details of Leonard's story only got worse as it progressed. "I found some bodies further down. Though the first one had its entire face torn off, I recognized the tattoos on the wrists and the decorations on the uniform. These were the remains of the commanding officer, Major Adin Bozwensc. I also found another corpse in a medical clinic. I identified this casualty as Quentir Braslino, a man hand-picked by the Major to supervise the mining operations."

A few whispers arose from the Narshean military officers, before they stifled their muted chatter. Leonard kept at it. "I came upon another room with a radio bank. The person sitting in front had been stabbed in the neck with some giant claw or spiked bone shard, detached from something's body. Immediately after that came a flapping sound behind me. I turned around, and saw…it."

"It?" Edgar's voice held a note of suspense. All the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end. Maybe now we could finally get a solid idea of those behind the savage attack.

"It was a large moth, beige in color with shiny black eyes and a wing span of probably three feet. It charged me with the large spikes on its leg tips. I dodged, fell on a chair, and dropped my weapon. As I reached for it, something with needles stabbed my cheek. I pulled them out, found my weapon, and killed the creature."

Were insurgents from the southern continent responsible after all? This was the first real indication of an actual monster attack. Even if there was no dead sample of the creature, there was the poison, saved and stored by Cid. That by itself was enough to back up Leonard's tale.

I didn't know whether to feel relieved or alarmed at the presence of an actual monster. The good news was that it ruled out extremists with an axe to grind.

The bad news was that a monster attack generally didn't fit with the other descriptions that Leonard shared. The loss of emergency systems, sprinklers, and radio communication all suggested tactical thinking. Monsters, in spite of their aggression, endurance, and innate capabilities, lacked the intelligence for strategies like this. Yet there was a monster in the base. This second scenario, though preferable to the first, didn't make any sense. The presence of a strange new monster didn't explain how a…highly strategic monster attack had been pulled off.

Unless…

When magic died from this world, nature kicked itself into high gear, rejuvenating some of the damage from the great collapse. Sunken land masses were pushed back above sea level, mending severed continents back together in places. Had such major topographic activity caused undiscovered monster breeds to relocate elsewhere, like the Shedairah mines?

Leonard found the guards at the base's west entrance dead. He wondered if the attack had commenced from both the surface and underground caves. Though no more casualties awaited him outside, he did see the radio antenna had been torn apart, one more sign of intentional sabotage. The cable car at the east end was also destroyed.

Only now did Leonard realize the severity of the attack. He should've reached that conclusion before he'd gotten that far, but he wasn't a seasoned adventurer like us, and our ventures held a sense of logic. This attack did not. "I had to inform someone about this," Leonard paused. "Not knowing the top brass, that someone was you."

A hole in the western fence provided Leonard's exit from the base grounds. He sought a chocobo stable in the woods. During his walk, he made a few pit stops, and his vision became blurry. At the time, he believed these were simply the effects of stress, though I could assume the real cause.

"I got to the stable and mounted a bird. As I rode, I theorized about what happened. The blackout was clearly the start of it. I lived because I'd been isolated from everyone else. While considering the giant moth's origins, my chocobo swerved sideways and threw me off its back, running back to its pen. Only then did I realize, in my nervous thinking, I'd been choking it with my death grip on the reins. At that point my cheek wounds began to sting. I realized this was a sign of poisoning." Leonard explained his strenuous walk to the train tracks, where he hopped a train. He rode in the caboose until guards found him and, believing he was a train robber, ordered him to leave.

After getting thrown on the train, Leonard continued on foot, staggering, sweating, using his weapon for balance, all the while moving on, until he reached the hillside overlooking the capital, where his strength finally gave out. "Then I collapsed and saw what I believed was a hallucination. Everything just went black after that." When Leonard finished, he looked straight at me and smiled. I threw him a wink. Sabin grinned as well, but I reminded him that he and Leonard hadn't been officially introduced.

"I see." Edgar pressed a button on the sound machine. The reel stopped turning. As he removed it from the device, he turned to Rodney. "Have there been any disturbances elsewhere?"

"No Sir. All contacted remote locations reported no strange activity."

I was glad to hear that. The Shedairah incident was enough by itself. It was still unclear if Shedairah was a just random target or assaulted with specific motive. With unknown enemies like this which clearly possessed some strategic thinking, either one was possible.

Edgar stood from his seat. "What's the current state of Narshe?" He asked one of the Narshean officers.

"The town is stable, but the friends and families of all who were stationed at the base are demanding to know where they are, and why they've heard nothing from them. Things could get ugly if we beat around the bush any longer."

A frown spread on Edgar's face. "I see. They deserve to know the truth, and they deserve to know it now. I'll accompany you back to the town and deliver the news to in person. For now, the official report will be a monster attack that yielded no survivors." Edgar glanced at Leonard, who nodded in approval. It was best to keep such information secret for now, I gathered. "General Garamonde. Sergeant Hayne. Captain Kades. If you would accompany me." Edgar spoke to Cyan, Rodney, and Vonius. "Tomorrow we'll think over our next step in dealing with this monster attack. This meeting is dismissed." With that, Edgar left the chamber for the back room.

The chatter which filled the room before the inquiry had returned. "I guess now's the time to say hi." Sabin looked at me.

"Sure, why not introduce yourself. I told him about your playing a part in his rescue, even though I still take most of the credit." Sabin and I both laughed as we stood up and made our way down to the front of the conference chamber. "Oh, he once thought that the King of Figaro only had a sister."

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So the spotlight was on me no more. Oh well. I didn't exactly ask to be the center of attention. But I still met the King of Figaro in person as a result. That meant something.

I was looking into the back room when a deep voice asked "How ya' doin' champ?" I turned and stood face-to face with a colossal man who dwarfed even the King. He wore a tight sleeveless shirt and loose sweat pants. His chest and arms were filled with nothing but sheer muscle, and his blonde hair was part long spikes, part tied-back ducktail. He grinned and offered his hand—almost twice the size of my own. I took his hulking paw. "Unless I'm having one serious identity crisis, I am still Edgar's brother."

"Sabin?" I asked.

"That's me. Sabin Rene Figaro, fellow Returner and friend of Terra's. I'm also her blitz teacher."

"The blitz?" I said with a small hint of recognition.

"You study it too?" He asked.

"Well, not really. I am vaguely familiar with the mental aspects and totally uneducated on the physical ones." I only read about bits and pieces about the blitz art. The Ts'aosra'iy had references to something like it.

"You know, for a person who never fought alongside us, you sure are made from tough shit." Sabin was impressed with my story." It'd kick ass to have you on our side. You could be a Returner, you know."

"Keep in mind, I never went looking for that action. It just found me. I'm not here to play the fuckin' hero."

Sabin's mouth dropped open. "You don't want to join the worlds finest? It beats being a train robber." He started laughing deeply.

"Very funny." Sabin's joke, though at my expense, cheered me up. He was a blitz master, but he wasn't a humorless stone. That's a stereotype that has long plagued people of martial arts and spiritual studies.

As Sabin contained his hardy laughter, Terra came down from behind him. "So, now that you've had your little moments of fame, what's next?" Terra asked, eagerly.

My stomach growled, a reminder that I hadn't eaten a full meal in almost a week. "I've done what I came here for. Now I'll grab some real dinner, go home, and go to bed. It's been one hell of a day, don't you think?"

Terra nodded. "Do you live anywhere near Narshe's moogle caves?"

"Hardly. I'm nowhere near that neighborhood."

"I see. I live in a district that's just west of center." She paused and added, "But I'm not too far from the moogle caves."

So she did live in Narshe. I played that idea. "I'll pay them a visit tomorrow morning. I've nothing better to do. I'm out of a job now." Though I'd lost my old train pass in my wallet, Edgar provided me with a spare, as token of gratitude.

My stomach growled again, louder this time. "Terra, I don't mean to split so hastily, but I'm hungry. I'll see you tomorrow at the moogles' cave. Say, ten-ish." Sabin and I shook hands again.

As I neared chamber's side exit, Terra called after me. "Right. You've more Returners to meet. See you then."

"Bye," I said before leaving the conference room.

Edgar and I had mulled over a few non-inquiry details beforehand, and we both agreed the best thing public explanation was to declare Shedairah a monster attack. Though it seemed much more given its tactical complexity, there was no actual proof it was anything else. As far as covering up the lone survivor part, that was simply done to ensure I wouldn't have scoop-hungry tabloid reporters stalking me afterwards.

Blocks from the grand castle was the train station. The train was boarding, but it was a private ride for the Narshean officers, Edgar, and another of his travel parties. There was only a short wait for the next train to Narshe though. I boarded and it sped away.

Once I got home, got some money, and replaced my wallet, I went out to eat. One grilled cheese sandwich with bacon would usually fill me up, but since I hadn't eaten a full meal in so long, I had two. Then I returned home, happy to sleep in my normal bed once more.

Unlike the poison-induced coma, I welcomed this sleep.

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"So his name's Leonard." Setzer joined Sabin and I. "He seems pretty interesting. Bring him here sometime. I'm sure he'd love to see the Falcon."

"Sure. Just don't go into another bragging bout when showing him the airship."

"That's the spirit." The gambler checked his wristwatch. "I'd best return to my wings. I had the cleaning crew do a service call while I was here, and they should be done about now. Gotta pay 'em for emptying the garbage and the septic tanks. Like your new bud, I'll se ya' later."

Sabin and I waved as Setzer walked out the doors. Sabin than turned to me. "You know something? Leonard seemed a tad familiar with the blitz when I told him I was your instructor. Speaking of which, I believe you have a lesson tomorrow. If he's interested, bring him along. I like the guy."

"Of course you would." I looked around. Everyone else about the room was preoccupied with conversation. Relm was rambling as Gau listened passively, and Cid was talking with Celes and Locke. "I guess I'll be leaving too."

Sabin gave me his signature bear hug and walked up the stairs to the exit. As I followed, I head Locke's voice behind me. "So what do you think?" He asked. "Still thinking it's not guerillas from down south?" Locke's face had a slight glimmer of hope.

"Of course. Though whatever happened there is still bizarre, that it's not their handiwork is comforting, in a very odd way. Like he said, Edgar will start investigation other monster-related possibilities tomorrow," I replied. "I'm heading home now to make myself dinner."

"Take care, Terra." Locke waved before returning to Cid and Celes.

When I got home, I was quite hungry. Maybe Leonard's tale had increased my appetite. I pulled a container of frozen pasta noodles out of my fridge and boiling them. As I ate, I tried contacting my father, but his words from this morning would be all until the next time.

I went to bed early, partly because I was tired from the day's events, and also because I planned to get up earlier than usual the next day. I put my jewelry into the box on my dresser, tossed my lace top and jeans into the hamper in my bathroom, put on my favorite blue nightgown, and crawled into bed.

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"Kupo!"

"Kupopo!"

"Kupo…po…oh!"

I had no schedule to keep today. Being late for work wouldn't mean anything now. Hell, I didn't work anywhere for the time being.

I ate, got dressed, and caught a train at my leisure. Not the usual train into the northern mountains (presently shut down and sealed off in light of recent events), but the train that went through Narshe. I departed in the southwestern part of town and headed to a cave in hillside.

I was greeted by my old friends. They were happy to see me, a feeling that I returned. It's rather odd when your greatest friends aren't even your own species. If it weren't for Sarge and Grandpa, all my close friends would be moogles.

But that was my life before waking up in the hospital the previous morning. With people like Terra, Edgar, Sabin, and the rest of the Returners crew, I could put more confidence in mankind.

The moogles wagged their tails and wiggled their antennae as I walked through their dwelling and sat on a wooden bench lined with lobo fur. Just then, their self-appointed 'leader' walked into the room and joined me.

"Kupo. It's you Leonard. I heard about Shedairah and thought you were a goner. Anyways, what brings you here? Looking to work in this mine again?" Mog asked in a high, chipmunk-ish voice.

"Maybe later Mog. Right now I'm just waiting for a friend to show up. A mutual friend of ours actually."

"Who?" Mog asked.

"Terra Branford. I said I'd be here today, and that she should come here to meet up."

Mog's beady black eyes went wide. "How do you know her?"

Mog hadn't attended the inquiry the night before, so he didn't have all the facts. I was direct. It's my style. "You know she saved a total stranger a short while back?"

"Of course. She was practically bragging about it, kupo. Why?"

If Mog was a Returner, he could be privy to my survivalist title. He wasn't any dipshit media reporter. He was, well—Mog. That was enough.

"I was that stranger. She found me after I escaped the ransacked Shedairah base, when I collapsed in the mountains from poisoning."

"Fuckupo!" The whole cave room instantly filled with moogle profanity.

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Since I wasn't going straight to the capital this morning, it was the ideal opportunity for a morning run. I put on a black tank top and a dark violet pair of silk pants, the kind that Sabin and Gau often wore, loose except at the tightened waist and ankles. Only these were tailored for a woman's size.

I pulled on my sweater, stuck my purse and keys into a pocket, and headed for the train station. I rode until the last stop in Narshe, at which point I departed for a morning jog.

I first passed a commerce plaza that had barely opened. Only a few shops had any signs of activity and shoppers were non-existent. After that I passed a construction yard when a building's skeleton was being assembled.

In the old days—three years and an eternity ago—I would've been alarmed and after seeing what constituted building equipment within the city. But the Empire was dead and its leftover technology was put to a more practical use. Though their magical power was gone, they still were machines that, with the imagination of someone like Edgar, could come in handy. Old magitek armors were now being used in the construction of this building, pulling loads of construction materials about, or helping the cranes fit beams into place. The symbol of the Empire's tyranny didn't bring any flashbacks. In fact, with its usage beneficial now, it was just yet another reminder that Gestahl's Empire was in its grave.

At last I came upon the entrance to the moogle caves. Some high pitched laughter came from inside. Had someone beaten me here? I walked inside and sure enough, he had.

Leonard sat slouched on a fur-covered seat as several generic moogles laughed and kupo'd around him. Suddenly, the moogle mob swarmed in my direction, with a choir of kupo's. "Hey there," I said to them, kneeling down and patting each on the head.

"Oh, now you get all the attention," a voice laughed from above the kupo chorus. Leonard walked over, with Mog right behind him. Leonard was dressed as blandly as he'd been the previous day. He wore faded black jeans and an equally faded gray t-shirt, along with his usual jacket and army boots. The silver pendant was still on his neck chain, and that was interesting enough since I'd yet learn what that icon actually was.

"Hey Leonard," I greeted my new friend, than my old one. "Hey Mog."

"Mornin' Terra," greeted the social moogle. "I was just talking to your new pal here about the heroine's calling. Never thought that you'd be saving the hide of my good ol' buddy Leonard Gurosawn, kupo."

"Neither did I Mog. I got pretty lucky to save and befriend your pal."

"Who was luckier that day?" Leonard piped in.

"I know all about the whole Shedairah thing. Leonard shared that much, but won't go into the details." Mog looked at his friend, our friend.

"Ask the King. I don't feel like telling the same drawn-out story twice. It's all recorded. I'm sure he'll let you hear, being a Returner and all." Leonard gave the moogle a back pat.

"Well yeah, later maybe. We need to stay here and help the town until further notice," Mog sighed.

"I guess we'll being going now." I stood up and gave Mog a good-bye pat on the head.

"Kupo. See ya'." Mog retreated back into a cave room, motioning for the others to follow.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Leonard asked as we left the cave and walked through the streets to the nearby train stop.

"I have a blitz lesson with Sabin. Once that's over it'll be around lunchtime. After that, I'm not sure. We could stop by the castle and see how Edgar's investigating the attack." I turned to meet his eyes. "And I've more friends you have to meet."

He nodded. "Sounds about right. I figured you were planning on doing just that."

We walked past some more houses. It felt odd, but interesting. Though we'd only introduced ourselves the day before, we really didn't feel like total strangers. Maybe it was my Returner status. Though he knew nothing of me before that day, he knew of Edgar by name, and had known Mog personally. Having mutual acquaintances made it seem like we'd known each other longer than we actually had.

But we truly were relative strangers. We knew little of one another's background. I wondered when and how I'd spill the beans about my hybrid ancestry and my growing up as a lifeless puppet of Gestahl. Leonard would surely know of the first and second Imperial attacks on Narshe. Had he actually seen Tritoch, or had he chosen not to gaze upon the esper uncovered in the city's northern mines? Many townspeople chose not to, given that it basically brought the Empire to their doorstep.

There'd be a time to ask later. No point in playing twenty questions just yet.

We stood under the platform's canopy. Leonard was leaning against one of the stone support columns. He looked over at me, than suddenly turned away. "Damn," he whispered.

"What is it?" I asked, keeping my voice equally low.

Leonard kept looking away. "Behind you."

I saw a woman in her late thirties or early forties with short wavy hair looking in our direction. I turned back to Leonard. "Who is she?" I maintained my low tone of voice.

"Later," he answered without turning back.

Confused, I just kept looking at the empty train tracks. Then I heard the woman's voice, loud and clear. "Well. Leonard Gurosawn. Fancy meeting you here this morning." Despite her friendly words, there was clear hostility in her voice.

"Fuck." Leonard's voice was no longer a whisper.

"What?" I asked. "Who is that woman?"

He shook his head before turning around. "You don't want to know, but you'll see." His voice was underlined with a grim tone. I looked at the woman as she walked over to us. Before I had a chance to ask anything else, she stopped and cleared her throat.

"So Leonard," she asked, narrowing her eyes as her voice became sharper. "Do you know what today is?" Leonard looked down and swore under his breath. If he was about to answer her, she beat him to it. "It was ten years ago today that my mother died."

Leonard clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The chance encounter with this woman had clearly upset him. He took a deep breath, and finally faced her as she stared him down with a scowl. "I know that," he said in a calm, slow voice. "You let me know about this last year, and the year before, at least. Don't you think it's time you moved on?"

Normally, a calm, simple response like that would diffuse this kind of situation, but Leonard's collected reply only angered the woman. She stomped up to him, almost knocking me over, and got right in his face. "Don't you dare disrespect my mother's memory by ignoring this matter, do you hear me?" She raised her voice to all but a scream. She clearly was demanding a reaction from Leonard, and he in turn was trying with equal determination not to give her one.

"You know why my mother died? If you made yourself forget, I'll make you remember. She died from a disease that our family could not afford to cure. We couldn't pay for treatment because we'd been conned out of most of our savings in the months prior. We'd been ripped off. And do you how that happened?" The irate woman pointed a finger menacingly at Leonard, who just stood expectantly, as if he knew was next. "We were conned by your father."

The mention of his father made him cringe, but he regained his composure. "That was my father's doing, not mine. He's not even alive anymore." His words were shaky, but his tone was still calm. He was trying to reason with this woman, but his efforts were futile.

"You're still a Gurosawn. You're still his son. He lives on in you. You've been living happily, spoiled off the large monetary sums that he handed down to you on a silver platter. That was our money. Your daddy willed you the riches that he stole from us, and my mother paid the highest price. She'd dead because of him, and you're living the high life." Her voice grew louder, despite this being a one-way hostility display.

"He never willed me anything. He didn't even appreciate me. I was the un-favored son. He treated me just as he treated you, if not worse. I've told you that already. Any of my pop's cronies will only speak of me with contempt. Just ask around." Frustration was beginning to consume Leonard.

"You can't run away from the past Leonard. You can't hide like a coward from the truth." The woman went on, despite Leonard's acting like an innocent man with nothing to hide. Her own words even reinforced that. She was blaming his father, not him.

His desperate words echoed his non-evasiveness. "I never did either one. I'm here. I'm not trying to avoid you. You wouldn't let me even if I tried. Why do you insist upon blaming me for something that I clearly didn't do? Why must you compare me to someone who never even cared for me at all? Why are you even doing this now when you've hit me with the same speech before?"

I was beginning to feel red in the face. This woman was blaming Leonard for something he never did. Her rage was inexplicably fueled by his rationality. His fists were shaking now, as he was trying desperately to control himself. He didn't want to hurt her, but his inner turmoil was seething inside. He wasn't alone. It took much reflection on Sabin's training to keep myself from grabbing the woman and slamming her face-first through the wooden benches on the train platform.

My mind was filled with memories of enslavement under the Empire. I was the Magitek-Riding Imperial Witch, without even trying. The people of Narshe wanted my severed head resting on a pike for things I really wasn't responsible for causing. Even figureheads like Edgar and Banon had been ridiculed by the Narshean guardsmen for merely associating with me.

Then there was Celes, who'd been cursed at by those she chose to protect, slandered as a loyalist to the very dictatorship she had sworn to bring down, judged for a past that she was greatly ashamed of.

And now this. Leonard was being accused of something that he never did at all.

I was seeing through a tint of red. A vein throbbed in my neck. The very sight of that woman became hideous. I stepped in right there. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I nearly shouted into the woman's ear. It got her attention. "He did nothing wrong. He said it. Even you said it. He's not responsible for what his father did." I lowered my voice and add some reasoning. "Even if you've been wronged and victimized, that doesn't give you the right to blame an innocent man."

She looked at me for a moment, than looked back at Leonard, who eyed at me in stunned gratitude. The woman went off again. "Ha! Of course. Now you're using your dad's money to entice fangirls into being your body guards. I wonder if your big bro taught you how to treat women." My reasoning had failed too. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jogging pants before the urge to slap the woman black and blue crossed my mind. The restraint of both Leonard and me was being pushed to its limits.

The woman turned back to me. "Sweetheart," she began with a voice of mock sympathy. "If this sorry excuse for a human being ever hurts you, there are places that can help. I just hope you haven't become his ever-obedient sex slave by now."

Before I could snap back, I heard stomps off to the side. Leonard stepped and put his face right up against hers. His voice remained quiet, but gained a hostile edge. "It's not enough to fuck with me at every chance, but now you must fuck with her?" Leonard faced me. "Tell her who you are. She won't believe it from me."

Time to put her in her place. "I'm Terra Branford, of the Returners. I'm a friend of Kind Edgar." I pointed at Leonard. "And Leonard here is a friend to all of us." The best splash of cold water in the face was the simple truth. At least it was mostly truth.

That did the trick. The woman's self-righteous demeanor hit a sinkhole. The pseudo-authority, the bravado, the false sense of dominance was lost now. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide. She staggered to keep her balance, as if the gentlest breeze would knock her over. "I don't believe it," she gasped as tears welled up in her eyes. She fully knew I'd been truthful with my name. Maybe now she would apologize, not just to Leonard, but to both of us. "I thought you p-p-people defended the good citizens of this world. But now you've befriend the wrong people. I thought you were respectable."

So much for an apology. First she blames an innocent man for a crime that he never committed, and then she insults a world heroine who defends him, even when that heroine played a role in saving her life from a deranged madman who ripped the world asunder, thinking her own victimization was an excuse all the while.

As the temperamental woman sniffled and stepped back, Leonard stepped forward and glared with a 'piss off' look. The woman turned and ran to the other end of the train platform. Leonard took a deep breath and let the rage inside him die down.

The fires within my own mind were now being extinguished. When they too were no more, I turned to him. "What the fuck was that all about?" I asked.

Leonard forced a laugh. "Was it not obvious? She has a grudge against my old man and takes it out on me. At least she did, until we both bitch-slapped her with reality."

"And you've been tolerating that shit all this time?"

"It's not that I tolerated it. It's not that simple. She really was a victim of my dad's…misdeeds. I can't hate her even if she hates me. It's my dad who I…" Leonard cut himself off. He now realized I'd just learned something about him that he didn't want to share, at least not yet.

A loud whistle came from the east. The train to Figaro was approaching. It stopped, we boarded, and took seats. I began to wonder who really had a more troubled and hurt-filled past as the train started toward its destination.